Is spray foam insulation safe

[gwand]

I have to insulate parts of my house where there are fish tanks. The company plans on using a polyurethane spray foam called Enverge .5. We have to be out of the house for 24 hours during and following the spray application due to potential toxicity. I was gonna cover each of my eight fish tanks with a blanket. Do you think my fish are at risk from this polyurethane spray? The insulation company says the fish will be safe.

 

[Back in the fold]

I dunno Man . The insulators are going to say it’s safe but there’s vapors that could be toxic . That’s why they want you out . If you’re using diaphragm air pumps turn them off so they don’t draw the fumes out of the air and pump it into your aquariums . I would also cover the aquariums for a day . Better safe than sorry . And after it’s all done I would do water changes like a madman for a couple days afterwards .

 

[gwand]

I dunno Man . The insulators are going to say it’s safe but there’s vapors that could be toxic . That’s why they want you out . If you’re using diaphragm air pumps turn them off so they don’t draw the fumes out of the air and pump it into your aquariums . I would also cover the aquariums for a day . Better safe than sorry . And after it’s all done I would do water changes like a madman for a couple days afterwards .

I think you are right.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

I would be very nervous if it were me. I think you might want to wait for much warmer weather so you could open doors and windows to ventilate. In order to get oxygen into a tank r3quires surface agitation. Filter returns do this as well as the bubbles from air power when they reach the surface.

I do not understand why you would need to be out of the house because of the fumes but they would be OK for the fish. I think you need a better explanation from the people doing the work than a simple "They will be OK." If the fumes are in the air around the tanks why would they not get into the water?

I could be wrong here, but I would suggest you need to be 110% sure of what they claim before proceeding.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

I agree--cover all your tanks and turn off aeration. As soon as you can, air out the house and do the biggest water change you can without upsetting the fish too badly.